There is probably nobody that has been more talked about in Scottish rugby circles over the last couple of weeks than ‘Greenock Granny’ Jaqueline Thomson - and her great trip home from Australia just got even better thanks to grassroots club Greenock Wanderers.
Jaqueline, 77, is the grandmother of Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu and his younger brother Mosese and it is through her Greenock roots the duo are eligible to play for the country despite her having lived Down Under for many years.
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And on Monday, Greenock Wanderers, the rugby club in her hometown, announced that they had bestowed honorary life memberships on all three of them.
Tony Barrie, the Fort Matilda club’s vice-president, explained: “The club got in contact with the SRU in the hope of arranging a chance to see Sione, Mosese and Jaqueline to present them with their memberships.
“I was fortunate enough to be at the Scotland game against Australia at Murrayfield on November 24 and was given permission to meet with both Sione and Jacqueline after the game pitchside.
“It was a great chance to let it be known how proud we are to have them and Mosese, who had played for Scotland A for Chile the day before, associated with the club.
“Jaqueline’s roots in Greenock have created a special link and we deeply admire the incredible impact both Sione and Mosese have had on Scottish rugby in recent times.
“As such, it is an honour for Greenock Wanderers to now have all three of them as honorary life members of the club.”
When Tony met Jaqueline after Scotland’s 27-13 Autumn Nations Series win, she expressed her delight at being honoured by Greenock Wanderers and she was particularly touched by this recognition from her hometown club.
The club is now looking to build on this newfound connection with the Tuipulotu family and, just last week, Jaqueline was back in the town with her grandsons on their days off from Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby respectively.
She had the chance to revisit her roots and tour her old family home.
Remarkably, the house is now occupied by Greenock Wanderers under-16 captain Innes Brown and his family, making the visit a memorable occasion for all.
The Brown family warmly welcomed Jaqueline and her grandsons into their home giving them a tour and, as you can imagine, it was a heartwarming moment for all.
Jaqueline arrived in Scotland from Australia in the lead-up to Scotland’s Test with the Wallabies and shocked her grandsons when they heading into the Murrayfield dressing rooms one day thinking they were going to be meeting a competition winner.
It is the first time in 12 years that she has been over here and with Sione and Mosese’s mother Angelina also over, the family has had a great time.
And Jaqueline has been something of a good luck charm with Scotland 'A' having beaten Chile, Scotland dispatching Australia and her handing Sione the Hopetoun Cup.
She was also back in the stands to watch Mosese help Edinburgh Rugby beat Benetton on Saturday night.
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